Why horses?

Horses are prey animals. This instinctive drive causes two major characteristics of horse behavour: a tendency to perceive danger in every situation, and a tendency to react instinctively rather than to respond rationally when faced with that perceived danger. People who have been abused deeply understand this instinct. They understand what it means to be someone’s prey. Like horses, they tend to see danger in every situation, and react instinctively rather than  rationally. When a person who has been abused works with a horse using natural horsemanship techniques, both the horse and the person learn to control that instinctive fear. They can learn  to look at the world more rationally. The horse discovers how to trust the human in situations where it might instinctively be fearful. The person begins to recognize that she is able to make rational decisions, not just for the horse, but for herself as well. The cycle of fearing, reacting and running can be overcome in both the horse and the abused person.

The large and powerful size of the horse makes it naturally intimidating to many people. Accomplishing a task involving the horse, in spite of those fears, creates confidence. People who have suffered abuse have usually done so at the mercy of someone bigger and stronger than themselves. This can ingrain in them the idea that in order to get what they want they must use strength and force. Using natural horsemanship techniques rather than force and intimidation, people learn how to get the horse, a big and powerful animal, to respond to them in a positive way. They learn that the use of force and intimidation only results in submission of the body and not the spirit, and does not produce positive relationships. As they learn these techniques with horses and then transfer them to their relationships with people, there is a better chance that the cycle of abuse will be broken.

Please see our promotional video for more information.